Kingdom Hearts: Keeping an Oath
by MysteriousFire
Summary: Roxas has defeated Xion and is practically standing on his last legs, but when the chance to save her comes, Roxas is determined to do whatever it takes to bring her back, fix his mistakes, and keep the oath that he made.   Rated T for Safety
1. Chapter One: Reminiscence of an Oath

_Disclaimer-I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I own characters from Kingdom Hearts or any characters associated in Kingdom Hearts that are not specifically from Kingdom Hearts, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, etc. All my stories are for the purpose of entertainment, and I have the right to an opinion and creative mind, as does everybody else._

Hey guys, it's Mysterious Fire, just wanted to say hi to all my readers. So anyways, this is my first fanfic, and it's also the first romance that I've ever attempted to write…ever….so yeah I'm just a little nervous/unsure how things will go. If you guys don't really feel like reading this introduction, you guys can go ahead and skip to the story below, this really only explains the outline of the story and my purpose for it.

So the absolute main purpose for this story is…as you probably guessed from reading the description, Roxas and Xion. (RoxasxXion, however you prefer to put it) I had always originally been a fan of Roxas and Namine, because they seemed to go well together in their intents of doing what was best for the people around them, especially Sora. It was all pretty good and I was satisfied with the ending result of KH2. But then, before I knew it, Xion was introduced to Kingdom Hearts in 358/2 days. And 358/2 Days really made me think about who the better couple was; although the answer was pretty clear to me.

I want to give an alternate ending to KH2 that is realistic, interesting, and even somewhat funny, but most importantly, romantic. I want to mostly focus on the relationship between Roxas and Xion. Why?

Because they are undoubtedly hands down my favorite Kingdom Hearts couple in the game, and easily one of my favorite gaming couples of all time. (Sorry if this offends people who aren't Roxas and Xion fans.) Personally, I think that the two go through so much together, good times and bad, which is why they can be more compassionate for each other. Well, I'm done asking myself questions now. I just wanted to give my readers an explanation as to why I'm writing this story, and I will probably write something like this at the start of most, if not all of my stories. (Not chapters, stories. Just skip these long boring introductions if you don't like them, I don't expect everybody to.)

The second chapter will begin on day 358 of KH 358/2 Days, when Roxas is fighting Riku. I'll probably post the second chapter along with this introduction and first chapter, unless my patience of a 4-year-old decides to kick in and I post this introduction/prologue and first chapter alone due to my impatience. Anyways, without further a due, here's chapter one. This is in first person, not all parts of my story will be like this, but since this takes place on day 357, I thought it should come from Roxas' POV, because it was the day that he defeated Xion.

* * *

If I could've ever had feelings, this must have been what guilt felt like. I had never been so sorry for anything I had ever done since I joined and left the Organization. I was as people would say, "choked up". It seemed like there was something in my throat, which I thought was supposed to imply a sign of sadness, but I couldn't feel. I was a Nobody, and not just a term. I had lost my friends, the ones that I held closest to my non-existent heart. I had practically abandoned one who went by the name of Axel when I left the Organization. He took me in when I was so unsure of myself. And how did I thank him? I turned against not only the Organization when I left, but him as well, along with every moment that we spent together. Those memories of being on the clock tower, the effort we had to put forth to defeat the heartless that stood in our way, I turned away from it all, and as I sat on the clock tower, I was afraid I would never have the opportunity to look back, to make things _right_.

Today however, I wasn't exactly doing a very good job of making things right, which lead to my other friend.

I had "terminated" her earlier that day, which was the reason I was at the clock tower drowning in my own sorrow. She was a Nobody, just like Axel and I.

And when a Nobody is "terminated", they're gone. For good. They don't have a heart, and as far as I knew, there was nothing a Nobody could do to prevent the end of their existence when the time came.

It was my fault that Xion, number XIV, was gone. Sure, she may have been the one that attacked me, but I had never thought that fighting back would have resulted in Xion ceasing to exist. When Axel fought Xion, he had only knocked her unconscious, which was what I intended to do before she became the size of the clock tower itself, at which point it was either her end or my own. As I reflected back on what had happened, I concluded that it should have been me instead.

But I still wasn't able to understand, why was I so much more concerned about Xion? I mean, Axel was just as close a friend to me as Xion was, but yet I felt more…attached to Xion, in a way that I saw as indescribable.

The clock tower was the last place I saw her...as herself. Not as another member of the Organization, not as a keyblade wielder, but as the girl I had always known well since we first met.

Excluding Axel, everybody else saw number XIV as a puppet, as a pawn that the Organization used to make their moves in order to fulfill their primary goal- to complete Kingdom Hearts. I didn't. I saw her as the girl who thrived to be individual even when people claimed she was just a puppet. I saw her as someone who tried to do what was right and cared for her friends more than anything.

I saw her as Xion.

Yet I still wondered, how come it was me? Did I see Xion in a different way than how everybody else saw her? We all saw Xion as either our friend or an Organization member, but did I think of her differently?

Did I see us as something more than friends?

As that thought had entered my head, I remembered the day that I had fought that giant heartless at the Beast's Castle. The Beast was saying how he had tried to fight the heartless in order to protect those inside the castle…and to protect Belle. Xaldin then mentioned a word that I had heard once or twice before from Marluxia, who was obviously somewhat into this, "romantic" as he said, feeling. I mean, come on, the rose petal scythe was my first clue. What was that word? L…lu…lo…

Love. That was the word that Xaldin had mentioned. I had never really discovered its true meaning, but from what I understood, it was powerful. It supposedly could enhance one's emotions or feelings ten-fold. Whether they were good or bad, I supposed it was possible for both to exist, but most likely one would probably aim for the happier emotions. And, as always, there was one catch to every new thing I learned, and I was disappointed when Axel had told me the same thing that many members of the Organization had later that day on the clock tower.

You needed a heart. It seemed like there was nothing a Nobody could do if they lacked a heart.

Still though, I wanted to know so badly what it felt like to love. The way I felt about Axel was explainable, we were friends, we had each other's backs, but nothing more. It was different with Xion. It always seemed like there was something missing between her and I, almost like there was a different kind of friendship with Xion. I had noticed this strange heat that I felt in my face every time I was around her, not to mention how she tended to make me laugh and smile more often. And every time I talked to her, I could have sworn that something was "growing inside" my stomach, almost like a "shaking" feeling. I once heard Hayner use the term "Butterflies in your stomach" when he was talking about something called a "Struggle" tournament, but I didn't really understand what butterflies and stomachs had in common.

Did that mean….that I had loved..Xion? The same one that I had fought and defeated that day? Nobodies can't love, or so I was told.

But maybe this wasn't true love, instead maybe just some…simpler form of love?

The subject just became too confusing for me as the sun set red, reminding me how it was "Always the color that travels the farthest" according to Axel. I decided to get some sleep. Just before I put my hood down and fell asleep on the clock tower, I remembered Xion's last will. The task she had requested of me in her dying words.

I had made an oath that I would set the hearts in Kingdom Hearts free.

And when someone makes an oath, especially me, they're supposed to keep it.

* * *

Okay guys, let's just douse the torches and put the pitchforks down for a second, I just want to say, this was a really tough opening to write for my first fan-fic. I actually re-wrote it a couple times, and I was most satisfied with this one. This is pretty much the first chapter, but the _real_ story begins on day 358, so this is kind of a prologue, just to show what's going on in Roxas' head throughout the story.

By the way, I'm just starting out at fanfiction at this point, so I don't have any friends yet (T_T). If anybody noticed an error in the grammar or even in the general outline of the story, please don't be afraid to scold/correct me for it =P. For the time being, my readers are hopefully my reviewers _and_ my peer editors. I'm also just trying this story out, if people don't like it, it's fine, I'll stop and think of a new idea. But PLEASE, you don't know how much your reviews help, so if you want, go ahead and leave one, good or bad. Thanks again readers, best of luck with your stories too.

-MysteriousFire


	2. Chapter Two: Sunrise to Shadows

_Disclaimer-I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I own characters from Kingdom Hearts or any characters associated in Kingdom Hearts that are not specifically from Kingdom Hearts, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, etc. All my stories are for the purpose of entertainment, and I have the right to an opinion and creative mind, as does everybody else._

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Super-duper extreeeemely grateful thanks to SilverWings104,blblblblbl, warrior of six blades, talkstoangels77, NagiraAkisa, Taeniaea, PhantomGirl12, Sky Zephyrus, Cori Shadowfang, and Paperhouse for being my first reviewers! You guys have helped so much and I can't thank you enough!

Hey everyone, it's MysteriousFire again. Thank you guys so much for the generous reviews! I was really surprised with the results when I got home and checked my story to see _Reviews: 6_ written next to my story not even 24 hours after it was posted.

(Moment of raging happiness now over) But seriously, thanks so much, it wasn't even two weeks since I posted the first chapter, which is also the prologue, and I received 10 reviews. Here, I'll even post a "thank-you" below my boring disclaimer for you! Oh, by the way, if you guys, or anybody for that matter, are uncomfortable with your name written in the "thank-you", I'll gladly remove it if you're not okay with it. I'm just trying to give credit to my reviewers.

I'm so sorry that this took so long. My homework load is through the roof right now, all of it preventing me from working on the story. Plus, I just recently got a used Psp and the new KH game, so I'm trying to make progress with that too. Chapters will probably be updated and posted more quickly once I beat the game, but I want to make sure I don't rush through BBS. I promise, I'll try to update as soon as possible, and not only with this chapter. I've made a few small changes to chapter one, including placing a line between the AN's. (Thanks to those who reminded me) Thanks again!

* * *

People say if you love someone, then let them go. And I did.

But I never knew how hard it would be.

* * *

I awoke early the next day on the clock tower with mixed thoughts. I was confused and disappointed at the same time, and it was kind of hard to explain. On one hand, I was hoping that everything had all just been a dream. I wanted to wake up and see Xion, I wanted things to be normal again. But it wasn't a dream. Reality can hurt like that, and the disappointment overwhelmed me inside. It was just so hard for me to try to do what was right knowing that I had made so many mistakes. It was a struggle for me to even stand up and keep moving. Everything had seemed so pointless, and I didn't know if I would be able to right the wrong.

But I had to try.

I lifted my hood up for a brief moment and looked at the rising sun. It was the first time I had ever seen the sun rise, and I couldn't have picked a better spot to watch the sun rise than at the clock tower. I had known that each day, the sun sets, and the sun rises. Eventually, every sun has to set.

But a new sun will always rise.

Everything that has to end concludes for the best, or so something even better can begin. At least, that was how I saw things. And watching the sun really made me think about not only Xion, but everything else that had happened over the past few days. Maybe leaving the Organization, leaving Axel, and maybe even fighting Xion…could it all have been for the best? I didn't think I would ever be able to know, but maybe things were better that way.

It encouraged me even more to find out for myself.

After I had watched enough of the rising sun, I decided to memorize my plan once more before departing. Memorizing this pre-meditated plan had almost been like memorizing my name. It was easy to do, yet important to remember.

I had planned to use the Dark Corridor in order to get somewhere near Kingdom Hearts without attracting attention. There was an almost abandoned plaza near the castle that would lead me to Kingdom Hearts, and I would have to think of a way to set the hearts free from there. Nobody in the organization had mentioned a way to destroy Kingdom Hearts. This, however, did not surprise me; the organization _did_ encounter problems with a few "double crossers" in the past. I assumed that they didn't want to be letting out any crucial information to unsuspected ears. The plan may have seemed simple, but I would have to be alert at all times. At any given moment, things could get ugly and might require me to fight.

And I was planning to hopefully reach Kingdom Hearts without any distractions.

After thoroughly reviewing my plan, it was finally time to leave. I looked back at the sun one last time, threw my hood down, and opened the dark corridor. This would be the first time returning to the home of the Organization with opposing intents. It was somewhat intimidating to me knowing that the toughest of the Organization would be trying to put a stop to me…to put an end to me. But my fear was engulfed somewhere in my determination. I had come too far and become way too independent from the Organization to turn back now. And I didn't even know if the Organization would be able to tell whether or not I was using the Dark Corridor.

Did it seem like I cared? Correct answer…no.

The weather was less than pleasant as I exited the Dark Corridor. I had never been in the rain before, although I had seen the rain a few times when I was inside the castle. It was…interesting though. I wished that I could take the time to admire the rain for a little bit longer.

But I had an oath to keep.

I summoned, to my surprise, not one, but two keyblades. I was only familiar with one of the two, although I had never summoned it. It was called the _Oathkeeper_, and it fit my intents well. It reminded me of why I was doing this. I was doing it for Xion, as well as Axel and those who supported my cause. The keyblade itself had a luminescent white color, and its perfection almost made me feel guilty for using it as a weapon, even if it was the keyblade's purpose. I had almost forgotten about the other keyblade in the process of recognizing the Oathkeeper. I could just barely make out small letters sketched into a side of the keyblade's handle.

_Oblivion_.

This keyblade was almost completely black. There was a diamond-shaped…jewel-like decoration near the handle that had a dark-purple "haze" to it. I could feel that this blade was overwhelming with power…a dark power that seemed somewhat unreliable to me. Yet somehow, it resembled my intents in a way kind of similar to the way that the Oathkeeper did. The Oblivion represented where I planned to send anybody who stood in my way of achieving my goal and my oath.

It was also where I would be going if I failed.

I tried to force the negative thought out of my head and proceeded towards the plaza. I encountered quite a few Neo-Shadows along the way, but I made easy work of them. Eventually, things got to the point where the Neo-Shadows decided to cower in the very ground I walked on. They could see how serious I was about keeping my oath, and they didn't dare set shadow within at least 30 feet from me unless I was caught off guard. I was getting close to the plaza, but I wasn't in a hurry. I wasn't running, and instead walked with caution and in silence, except for the constant "_pitter-patter"_ of the rain. I stopped right before the entrance to the plaza.

"This is it," I said to myself. There was absolutely no doubt about it. I would either succeed in rescuing Xion, or…"die" trying. From here I would have to proceed to the castle and get to Kingdom Hearts without attracting any attention. I was a little bit unsure, and maybe even nervous, but I was confident that if I stopped now, everything would have been in vain. There was a lot on the line here as I stood outside the plaza entrance. A part of me almost wanted to give up, but I didn't have a choice at this point. Losing Xion and abandoning Axel were two mistakes too many.

I was tired of making mistakes.

I walked through the plaza entrance and found nobody in the plaza. I was able to take a breather, feeling relieved that I hadn't run into any Organization members yet, especially Axel. It would have been too painful to have to look him in the eye after what I had done. I would need time to sort out my thoughts before I would be able to face my friend again.

Wait a second…I felt…relieved? How come I was able to feel? I remembered the previous evening when I had debated "loving" Xion. I had no idea if what I thought I felt was love, or if any of my feelings made sense, but I knew that I wanted an explanation. The only possible explanation I had for such feelings was that I felt things in a simpler form. I had heard that I was, in a way, "linked" to this "Sora" person. Did he have a heart? Was he the answer?

Was he the reason I could have such emotions?

Apparently, this would have to wait, because all of a sudden, I was surrounded by a bunch of Neo-Shadows. They had done exactly what I had feared.

They had caught me off guard.

There were a lot of them, I wasn't going to lie. All I could think about were my next moves, a slash here, a swipe there, and so on and so forth. I fought until there wasn't a Neo-Shadow in sight, and just when it seemed like I had won, twice as many would surface from their shadows. I was starting to get tired of swinging my two key blades around. It was no use. The Neo-Shadows kept coming, using all of their might to attempt to overpower me.

And then, in the blink of an eye, they stopped. They succumbed back into the shadows and began to cower once again, only this time, not because of me. I looked around, trying to find out what might have caused their sudden reaction. And then I saw him.

Standing on one of the skyscrapers in the plaza was a boy that seemed around my age. He was confident, I gave him that much. It "took guts" as Xigbar would say, to wear a blindfold while standing on top of a giant skyscraper, and I didn't blame the Neo-Shadows for wanting to run and hide from such a foe.

I was practically frozen in place as a result of staring at this guy. He wore an Organization coat, and it was a dead giveaway to me that this must have been the "imposter" that the Organization had mentioned. He had silver hair that glistened from the light of Kingdom Hearts. And he was far away, but the determined grin on his face that I could barely see said it all.

My voyage of smooth sailing to Kingdom Hearts would be coming to an abrupt halt.

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Okay, once again, I'm really sorry that this took so long. Please enjoy, thanks so much for the reviews. You guys honestly don't know how much they help. If it weren't for all the homework I'm getting, I would have worked nonstop on this story. Words can't say how grateful I am for my readers. Just to let you all know ahead of time, in the next chapter, Roxas and "This unknown character" are supposed to fight, but the chapter is supposed to result in a slight twist from the original storyline. Any suggestions, feedback, or story corrections are greatly appreciated. Thanks again, and best of luck readers!

-MysteriousFire


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